So we know he knows

The other day at work I accidentally made some students cry. 

They were playing with their toys and I had asked them several times to put on their boots and jackets to go home, but they were too distracted.

So I popped their toys in their backpacks and they freaked out. "Why do you hate me?" cried one. "That is SO UNFAIR!" stormed another.

And I was truly confused, because to me, it was nothing. I wasn't trying to be unfair or hateful, just trying to get them to the bus before it left the yard. I hadn't confiscated their toys, just put them away into their own bags.

I mentioned it to another adult and she gave me some context for their reactions. 

Ohhhh.

I felt the lightbulb go on.

Yeah.

If I'd had their experiences, I'd have reacted that way too. If I'd known, I wouldn't have taken their toys out of their hands. Perspective changes everything.

It's one of my favourite things about Jesus. He didn't just teach us, and tell us he knew us.

He got right into our story.

He came to live it with us.

Immanuel.

God with us.

And sometimes our stories are hard and sad and cause us to react differently than those around us expect. Sometimes we might seem mad. To people who don't know, we are wildly irrational.

But all our hopes and fears, all our hurts and scars, all our ptsd and generational trauma and tempestuous coping mechanisms...

All of these are known by the God who was born into humanity.

He carries our griefs.

Our scars are his scars, and his wounds bring ours healing.

It's why he came right into our story. So we know he knows.

Joy to the world, friends.

Xo.